NY/LA screenings: “THE HOLE,” “STAKE LAND,” “WOODS,” etc.

Originally posted on 2010-09-02 15:59:17 by

Fall is just around the corner, and with it will come a slew of horror screenings on both coasts. A few of the year’s most eagerly awaited fright features as well as vintage fear favorites are slated to be shown at various venues over the next couple of months.

• It has been previously reported that this year’s New York Film Festival will screen Clint Eastwood’s supernatural thriller HEREAFTER and Jorge Michel Grau’s cannibal drama WE ARE WHAT WE ARE, and a few more genre titles have been added in the Special Events category. Most notable is a screening of THE HOLE (pictured above), Joe Dante’s 3-D saga of the strange stuff a couple of young boys encounter when they uncover a boarded-up pit in the cellar of their new home. The film (which still hasn’t landed U.S. distribution) will be shown Saturday, October 9 at 6 p.m. The same night at 9:30, the fest presents the 1931 Spanish-language DRACULA directed by George Melford (on the same sets used for the Bela Lugosi version), with live musical accompaniment by Grammy-nominated guitarist/songwriter Gary Lucas. Fans of Spanish genre cinema will also want to check out “The Marvelous World of Segundo de Chomón,” a presentation of films by the early special FX pioneer, Sunday, Oct. 10 at 12:30 p.m. All of these showings take place at the Walter Reade Theater (65th Street near Amsterdam Avenue); for more info, check out the New York Film Fest’s official website.

This Sunday, September 5 at 6:15 p.m., the Walter Reade will host a screening of Ridley Scott’s director’s cut of ALIEN, with star Tom Skerritt in person for a Q&A after the movie. It’s part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 75th-anniversary celebration of 20th Century Fox; see more info here. Finally, the Film Society has its fourth annual Scary Movies festival set to run Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 28-31. No titles have been announced yet, but past editions have featured must-see new features, rarely screened classics and special guests, so keep your eye on the Film Society website for updates.

• The 2010 Woodstock Film Festival has announced its slate of features, which includes two eagerly awaited new productions from New York’s own Roger Corman, Larry Fessenden, and his Glass Eye Pix in conjunction with Dark Sky Films. Joe Maggio’s BITTER FEAST (pictured), about a TV chef (James LeGros) who takes culinary revenge on a critic (Joshua Leonard) whose negative reviews have ruined his business, will screen Friday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m and Saturday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Ticket holders for the show on the 1st will also be treated to a pre-screening feast with a menu created by celebrity chef/BITTER FEAST co-star Mario Batali. On Saturday the 2nd at 10 p.m., the Woodstock Fest will present Jim Mickle’s post-vampire-apocalypse thriller STAKE LAND, starring Nick Damici, Danielle Harris and Kelly McGillis.

In addition, DON’T GO IN THE WOODS, the feature directorial debut of actor Vincent D’Onofrio, will be shown on Friday the 1st at 8 p.m. No relation to the early-’80s slasher cheapie of the same title, this one’s a musical/horror flick in which an up-and-coming indie rock band head out for a forest getaway to work on new songs, and wind up being terrorized by a slasher. There will also be a musical performance by the movie’s stars, including Sam Bisbee (who also scripted with Joe Vinciguerra) and Bo Boddie, who also co-wrote most of the songs on WOODS’ soundtrack. See the satirical DON’T GO IN THE WOODS preview below.

• There are no screenings involved, but Guillermo del Toro and Wes Craven will make separate personal appearances at NYC’s TheTimesCenter (242 West 41st Street) as part of the TimesTalks series. Del Toro will discuss THE FALL, the second in the STRAIN trilogy he wrote with Chuck Hogan, and other subjects on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m., and Craven, who has the 3-D chiller MY SOUL TO TAKE opening Oct. 8 and SCREAM 4 coming next April, will appear on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Both talks will be hosted by New York Times critic Jason Zinoman; for further info, click here.

• Los Angeles’ American Cinematheque always has a slew of genre events this time of year, and 2010 is no exception. At the Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood Boulevard), fans can catch a big-screening of the new Anchor Bay release GROWTH, set on an island infested with some very nasty parasitic worms, next Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m.; a Q&A with the filmmakers and actors will follow. A tribute to John Carpenter takes place Friday-Sunday, Sept. 17-19, with double features of ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK/ESCAPE FROM L.A., THEY LIVE and a new 35mm print of BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and THE THING/HALLOWEEN; Carpenter will appear in person for a discussion between the ESCAPE duo. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the Egyptian hosts the premiere of Adam Green’s slasher sequel HATCHET II, with Green and his cast in attendance.

Over at the Aero Theatre (1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica), the Cinematheque presents THE BIRDS (on a double bill with MARNIE; actress Tippi Hedren will talk between films) as part of an Alfred Hitchcock festival on Sunday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. On Thursday, September 23, Paul Verhoeven appears after a screening of his giant-bug epic STARSHIP TROOPERS, and will sign copies of his book JESUS OF NAZARETH in the lobby starting at 6:30 p.m. And on Saturday, September 25 at 3 p.m., the original Boris Karloff classic THE MUMMY will be preceded by an episode of the History Channel’s Egyptology series CHASING MUMMIES, whose star, archaeologist David Cheetham, will give a lecture in between.